Electric machine for lighting and extinguishing gas



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. E. THAXTER.

I ELECTRIC MACHINE FOR LIGHTING AND E XTINGUISHING GAS.

No. 392,701. j} tented Nov. 13, 1888.

8 x O a] 1:1. jg:

I I 6% T s M H N PETERS, Photo-Lithographer wammmn. u. c.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. E. THAXTER.

ELECTRIC MACHINE FOB. LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS. No. 392,701. Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEORGE E. THAXIER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC MACHINE FOR LIGHTING AND EXTlNGUlSHlNG GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,701, dated November 13, 1888,

Application filed August 4, 1888. Serial No. 281,902. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon E. Tnaxrnn, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Lighting and Extinguishing Gas, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the essential parts of my improved device with lines indieating the wire connections and showing only a portion of the clock mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the lower piece of mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the contact maker and breaker. Fig. 4 is a bot tom view of the same. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the stationary contact shown in plan in Fig. 2.

.My invention is an improvement on the device shown and described in Letters Patent No. 381,440, dated April 17, 1888, granted to me, and its chief object is the construction of a simple and effective apparatus for automatically lighting and extinguishing gas at a given time or times.

Myinvention consists of certain mechanism, constructed and arranged as hereinafter de scribed, and comprising a double contact making and breaking device of peculiar construction, operated by clock mechanism, whereby not only a gas lighting and extinguishing circuit'is made and broken, but a moving confact in said lighting-circuit is operated, thus making or breaking the circuit-connections with a number of burners, said movement being effected by means of a vibratory armature in another circuit, which said last-mentioned circuit is controlled by the double contact maker and breaker, which is operated by the clock mechanism.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and arrangement, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The machine shown in the accompanying drawings embodies my invention in the best form now known to me, and in the following description like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout said drawings.

A represents a disk, which may be revolved by clock mechanism, preferably once in twenty-fonr hours. The pointers d are loosely set on the arbor f, and are provided toward their outer ends with a short pin, 5/, which projects from the under side of the pointer, and when placed in one of the holes lfin the disk serves to secure the pointer at any desired point thereon. Four pointers on the twenty-fourhour disk may therefore serve to light and extinguish the gas evening and morning. If the gas is to be lighted and extinguished only once in the twenty-four hours, two pointers only will be required. Below the disk A a strip, B, of rubber or other non-conductor, is seen red. At either end of this strip is attached a block or projection, D, also of rubber or similar non-conductive material. Midway between the blocks D, I secure two spools or round pieces, 7.: Z, of rubber, which are set on an arbor or stud, j. (See Figs. 4c and 5.) On opposite sides of these spools metallic strips on (see Fig. 1) are inserted.

Each spool is provided with a projection, p, which is so set as to come in contact with the pointers (Z as the dial A revolves. One of the spools operates to extinguish the lights and the other to light them, and the pointers are so set that those which are designed to light the gas will come in contact with the spool, which is in thelighting-circuit, and the point ers which extinguish the gas will comein contact with the other spool. The spools are arranged to turn freely on the stud j, and are moved in one direction by the pointers (Z, and after the pointer has passed the projection p on the spool the spool is thrown back to its normal position by a spring, g, Figs. 1 and 3, which is secured to one of the blocks D and bears at the other end in a notch, r, in the spool. To prevent the spring g from turning the spool toofar, a pin, 8, is set in the strip B, near the projection 19. The projection p, coming in contact with the pin 8, prevents the spool from turning farther in that direction. On the blocks D are set stationary contactsprings t t, the springst being slightly shorter than the springs i, so that the springs t, when the spools is Z are in their normal position, will not touch the metallic strip or in the spool. If the spool be turned slightly by the pointers,the contactstt will both bear on the strip in, making the circuit. Similar contact-springs are socured to each of the blocks 1), forming a double contact-maker, so that as the spool is turned by a pointer two circuits are made, one being for lighting or extinguishing and the other for operating the mechanism shown in the lower part of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2.

I will describe first the lighting circuit 5 shown at the left of Fig. 1.

The wire M) is connected with the gas-pipe, which is not shown. It is provided with a spark-coil at a and then passes to the battery I). The wire 1) passes from this battery, and

a branch of it passes to each of the contact-s i,

one of said contacts being in the lighting-circuit and the other being in the extinguishingcircuit. The current passes through the contacts t and across the strip m, when the spool x5 is turned, making. the circuit through the contacts t, thence through the wires b or b to the lighting or extinguishing end of the circuitmaker shown in Figs.1 and 2-that is, the wire I) (see Fig. 1) passes downwardly from the contact-piece t to a spring, 0, fast on the base G,

which spring bears against the metallic pcriphery d of the wheel f. The periphery d is in contact with a pin, which, by reason of the flat spring h, (see Fig. 1,) is pressed 2 5 against the plates j, set in the face of the sta tionary end piece or frame, is. These plates are each connected by binding-screws Z with a wire which passes to the gas-burner, thus completing the circuit. The plates j are each 7 0 separate and are set slightly apart, (see Fig. 5,)

gear, Z", on the shaft of the wheels 1"".

The wire 1) passes downwardly from the contact-piece L, and in a similar manner closes the extinguishingcircuits by means of similar apparatus. (Shown at the opposite side of Fig. 1.) The apparatus for moving the wheels f istopcrated by closing another cirpieces at at the opposite sides of the spools kl and simultaneo y with the closing of the lighting or extinguishing circuit.

cuit, and this\is effected by the strips or This sec- 0nd circuit is as follows: The battery is represented at a. The wire a passes from this and is branched to each of the contact-pieces t. Thence the current passes, when either of the spools L l is turned across the strips m, along 0 the contact-pieces t,- thence along the wires a or a to the coils If, (see Fig. 2;) thence to the standard d,which supports a vibratory lever, f, ofcommon construction, supporting at one end an armature, gfland at the other the well- 5 5 known springand-pawl mechanism,by which the vibrations of the armature-lever are made to revolve a ratchet-wheel, h, mounted on a shaft, j, earrylng a pinion, 7a", in mesh with a The other wire, a, of the battery is connected with the standard in, which, by means of the adjusting-screw a, is in contact with the armature-lever f each time the armature rises.

The end or frame pieces, k, are preferably of rubber, and are secured by upright supports k on the bed G. The shaft of the wheels f is journaled at either end in the end pieces, It", as shown.

As automatic burners sometimes fail to light the first time the circuit is made, I arrange the pointers and projections 1) so that the pointer will bear for some time on the projection 1), thus keeping the circuits closed long enough to cause the wheels f" to make several revolutions. As the circuit is made with each burner, at each revolution the lighting or extinguishing of the lights is in this way insured.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. An electrical apparatus for lighting and extinguishing gas,consisting of a contact making and breaking device in the lighting and extinguishing circuit, an electro-magnet and mechanism connected therewith for actuating the movable member of said contact-maker, saidelectro-magnet being in a circuit of its own, a double contactmaker for closing simultaneously both said circuits, and clock mechanism for operating said double contactmaker, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the clock mechanism, ofa double cOntactmaker, one end of which is in a lighting-circuit and the other in circuit with an electromagnet, said double contaet-maker consisting of two stationary parts, as D, provided with spring-contacts, as it, and two movable spools, as k 1, against which the contacts L I. bear, said spools being I provided on opposite sides with strips m, and being actuated in one direction to close the circuits by clock mechanism and in the opposite direction to open the circuits by aspring, q, substantially as shown and described.

a 3. The combination, with the clock meehanism and the double contact making and breaking device, of a contact making and breaking device in the lighting or extinguishing circuit, said last-mentioned device consisting of a stationary part provided with a series of plates, j, and a movable part consisting of a disk having a metallic periphery provided with a spring-impelled pin, 9, arranged to bear successively on each of the plates j as the disk revolves, whereby the circuit is closed with each burner at each revolution of the disk and lighting or extinguishing the lights insured, substantially as described.

GEORGE E. THAXTER. lVitnesses:

- WM. A.1\IAOLEOD,

Lewis 0. Fixmrun. 

